Ryan’s Blog =)

During this essay I will explain the ESLR’s that I did or didn’t use in the projects we did. The lord of the flies project, Anne frank, and poetry unit. I will also explain how I have grown through out this year, how I have grown in understanding the ESLR’s and also the understanding of English.

This year when I got my grade for the lord of the flies project it was not very good so I wanted to improve on my future projects. In the Anne frank project I improved but not dramatically this was a group project so I don’t think I worked hard enough in the group I didn’t really stand up and become a leader. While I was making the poetry book I was more motivated and I enjoyed it a lot more, and my grade on this project had improved to where I wanted it to be, Because of this I was being a self-directed learner, taking responsibility for my own learning.

During in my improvement on all these projects that I had improved on I was being a critical thinker; I was applying problem solving skills to facilitate my learning. I did this by setting a goal to improve my effort and motivation on projects, to get better grades and to have a better experience in grade 8 English. In doing this I have become more motivated and enjoy English more than when I wasn’t motivated and didn’t care. Now I enjoy English and am not as stressed about my grades but I still have more parts of being a critical thinker to learn.

The things I learnt while reading the lord of the flies was more about subtext and themes before this book I never really thought about things like that, I just read it. I also learnt more things like this in the diary of Anne frank, her diary I think has influenced me quite a lot and I admire her, and she had a lot of courage. During the poetry unit I learnt how to write things like metaphors and how to understand them, and also learnt thing like personification and similes, these helped me to write my poems for my final project the poetry, which I achieved a pretty good grade on.

Overall this year I have been a self directed learner and critical thinker, these things helped me to become a more motivated English student, and to have more effort on projects and other assignments in English. Being a critical thinker has helped me to get better grades and to be more motivated, but I think there is still room for improvement. Being a self-directed learner has helped me improve so much; I have helped myself improve on all kinds of assignments not just in English in other classes to. Now I have a really good understanding of the ESLR’s. I have also became a lot more motivated in class, I think because I understand the subject more and I am staying on task for longer I think this was a really important thing to improve on, it has effected me quite a lot in other classes not just English

Last quarter, in the poetry unit we learnt how to write all different kinds of poems. We learnt haikus, rhyming, ballads or story poems, and similes and metaphors. We used all of these things to create a poetry book that had about twenty of our poems that we had written over the quarter. I am pretty sure I succeed in achieving many of the ESLR’S since I worked very hard on my book, I received a 92 which is am A- I was very happy to see that I had made a pretty big improvement in achieving my work at a high level. Overall through out this whole project I had quite a lot of fun in class and out of class experimenting with my poetry skills. In this quarter I learned so much and achieved more than I usually would in any other class. I don’t think there was much that I needed to improve on besides I few things that I should of spent more time on that is basically it.

I thought I was being a self directed learner in this project because I taking responsibility in my own learning, I created my own ideas, and succeeded in executing them. My ideas, titles, topics were all unique; there was nothing similar about them. Next time I would do almost exactly what I did in creating my poems and my book to succeed in getting a good grade but I will do it better. I will do better by not being so reliant on internet and just create my own ideas. On this I would grade myself an A- because I did this pretty well but not perfect so this is why I wouldn’t give myself an A+. Next time I will try to make it perfect so I can achieve an A+.

I thought I was being an academic achiever in this poetry quarter, when using a variety of sources. If I didn’t understand how to do poems I would ask the teacher or ask friends. This helped me a lot in the whole project since I am not extremely attentive in class. I also used the internet to find definitions of words rhyming words on rhymezone these help me in my 3 r’s poem. It was a huge part, since I am not a natural poet, I need as much help as I can get. I think for this part of the project I would also give myself an A-, because there is more I could’ve done, I kind of rushed. Next time I will try to do the best I can, and make my next project, better than this and my last one.

On this project I thought I was a critical thinker. This means that I have to build meaning and understanding using knowledge I already have, and researching for new information and using the info I. In my own opinion this means that that I should use knowledge that I have and incorporate it in my project, and also gather new knowledge from sources like internet and books, and also incorporate this into my project. On my next project I will use prior knowledge and knowledge that I gather from the internet and books and use that knowledge and incorporate it in my project. In my opinion I think that I did this pretty good I think about a B I would grade myself because I did this just ok I could’ve done a lot more but I did all that was necessary. Next time I will try my hardest to achieve better grades.

I was an effective communicator. This means listen respectfully and facilitate understanding and achieve insight. In my own opinion this means that I asked the necessary amount of questions that I needed to make this book and write the poetry this helped me to achieve more and a better grade. I mean that I should ask maybe a little more questions but just enough to understand what to do and to achieve my best grade and to achieve more out of this project. On my next project I will ask more questions to get a better understanding and to get a better grade and I will also listen respectfully. On this I would give myself a B because I did all that was necessary to do this project and I think this effected my grade in a kind of positive and negative way because asked enough questions to understand what to do more, but if I asked a little more I might of done a little better, if I did it would’ve had a better outcome.

I thought I was a self-directed learner. This means monitor, adjust and document work in progress. In my own opinion this means that I should change and adjust my work that is in progress. I need to change and adjust what I am doing with the poems and the book for a better outcome and grade. So on my next project basically I will just try harder to make the document better. On this I would grade myself a C because I didn’t do this that good and I could of done it a lot better, and if I did I would have got more out of doing this project I will monitor and adjust my project a lot more than what I did for a better outcome and a better grade.

So overall through out the project I had fun I achieved more and learnt a lot. I did a lot better than I did on my last project cause I did the things that I said I would do to improve for my next one, and I succeeded. Overall I really enjoyed this quarter and I think the kids next year will like it equally and have just as much fun as we all did. I am happy to see a big improvement in me and my school work; I was very pleased with my grade.

Dylan Thomas

Dylan Thomas was born in Swansea Wales. His dad was a writer who had a degree in English, bought his son up speaking English rather than
Wales’s native language of welsh. He was unable to fight in world war to because they considered him to frail. He stilled served in the army by writing propaganda scripts for the government. His first poem was published in his school magazine. His school was
Swansea grammar school, where his father taught English literature, he left school at the age of 16. he used to write a lot when he used to go on trips to see his grandparents, where he wrote one of his poems called fern hill. He died at the age of 39 the primary cause of his death is recorded as pneumonia, with pressure on the brain and a fatty liver given as contributing factors. His last words were, after 39 years this is all I have done.

Do not go gentle into that night 

Do not go gentle into that good night,

 Old age should burn and rave at close of day;

 Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

 Though wise men at their end know dark is right,

 Because their words had forked no lightning they

 Do not go gentle into that good night.

 Good men, the last wave by, crying how bright

 Their frail deeds might have danced in a
green bay,

 Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

 Wild men who caught and sang the sun in flight,

 And learn, too late, they grieved it on its way,

 Do not go gentle into that good night.

 Grave men, near death, who see with blinding sight

 Blind eyes could blaze like meteors and be gay,

 Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

 And you, my father, there on the sad height,

 Curse, bless, me now with your fierce tears, I pray.

 Do not go gentle into that good night.

 Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

I really like this poem because it could make pretty good lyrics. And these are the kind 

of lyrics that I like. It is kind of dark and mysterious and it probably explains his 

feelings of how he is feeling at that time. But the one thing I don’t really know is what 

he was feeling at that time.

Hey everyone, I am Ryan  I am 14 and in grade 8 and I am from
Australia. I live in a community of different types of people, like different cultures and backgrounds which is a great experience. It is so great because I get to learn about different things that I wouldn’t in Australia like cultures and religions. My favourite thing to do is hang out with my friends at lunch time and outside of school. I also love summer break and any other break because of no stress of homework and school. My favourite sports are tennis and basketball. I also like to play ps2 games and pc games, my favourite games are san andreas, bully, fifa street 2 and counter strike. Another thing that I like to do is listen to music. My favourite genres are metal and death metal. My favourite bands are slipknot, metallica, 36 crazy fists, him and stone sour. That’s all you need to know about me bye

Anthropologist–A person who studies the origin of ancient cultures.

Archeologist- A person who studies artifacts buried in the ground. Mostly bones

Economist-A person who studies the currency and economic system of countries and civilizations.

Historian-A person who studies events in history.

Linguist-A person who studies languages of countires or civilizations.

Theologian-A person who studies the religion of a country or civilization
Step 1:
Where did the Aztecs originally live? What prompted them to relocate? Where did they end up and why? Chose an artifact, which you feel best, represents this event. Support your choice

The leader of the Aztecs  at this time had about where the best place for them to live would be. He took the warriors in his tribe away from where they were living. They came to a lake where the five tribes that were living there told them they could settle on the island in the center of the lake.
Step 2:
The Aztecs ended up in the middle of a lake and built their new capital Tenochtitlan. What were the pros and cons of settling in the middle of a lake? Describe the lay of the land and chose an image for your exhibit.

Cons:
-trade is made difficult due farther travel.
-Tenochtitlan is a crossrooads and will be strategic to hold making it a magnet to the other 5 tribes living there.
-The inhabitants will have to rely on themselves to survive as they can only use the resources on their island.
-Limited living space.
-low hygiene due to crowding.
Pros:
- Easy to defend due to amphibious assault being the only way to board the island.
- Extremely rich soil.
- Chinampas make more space on land because farms are built on platforms.
- Center of all trade.
- unlimited fishing source.

Step 3:
Which gods were worshiped? The pyramids were built for what purpose
Tezcatlipoca, Quetzalcoatl, Tlaloc, Chalchiuhtlicue, HUITZILOPOCHTLI and Xipe - Totec were the gods worshipped by the Aztecs
The temples were used for sacrificial reasons. They would sacrifice humans hoping to get a good harvest, and other reasons to worship there gods.
Step 4:
Who are the different members of Aztec society? What are their roles? Choose an artifact that represents the social order of Aztec society.

there were three classes in the social structure

Slaves- Children who had been sold by their parents. These Children were usually only sold for a short time period and could buy back their freedom.

Commoners- Commoners were farmers and traders although mostly traders. Some Commoners were allowed to own farms, which were worked by the lower commoners.

Nobles- Nobles were given their position mostly birthright. Some also earned the position.

Step 5:
The Aztecs have a spoken language. What was it called? Did they use any other forms of communication? Include an example of either written or visual language of the Aztecs.

The Aztecs used pictographs, Logographs, Ideographs, Alphabetic writing systems and syllabic writing systems.
Step 6:
How did the Aztecs grow food and what was their main crop? Did they trade and with whom? Did they have a currency (money)? Find an image for your exhibit about making a living Aztec style.

The Aztecs main crop was corn. They used a floating platform called a chinampa to grow crops such as corn, tomatoes, squash beans and chili peppers.

How the drought is slowing down Australia’s economy. Because Australia’s drought is so bad it will slow down the economy because the less water that people can use, means the less water for crops to grow on farms.  The farm output could fall by 20 percent and will reduce the gdp in the year ahead by about half a percentage point. The economic slow down comes as
Australia’s enters an unprecedented 16^th year of growth

Here is the original article if you want to see the article click here. 

To me this diary entry was not very happy. I think it was created out of anger because the whole time she was victimizing her sister and her parents. But it also had a lot of deep thought and meaning and it was pretty well written. To me when she was writing this she was totally unaware of what was going on, outside of her life, because she didn’t mention that at all. I also think that what she says about her sibling and her mum is basically the same as what most people our age would write; to me it is very real. I think right at this stage in the diary she is just a normal girl. I relate with Anne in this because it is similar to my family because my mum is the one who I always argue with, and my dad is the one who lets me get away with things and the understanding one. He is also the one that cares about education similar to Anne as he is the one that wants me to succeed in life. When I think of Anne I think of me but as a male, more like Anne at the beginning of the diary. As I do not go into much thought and am not that interested in writing, but we do share the same kind of qualities, like we are both curious of what’s going on what everyone is doing, and always victimizing our parents and having the same opinions about our siblings and mum and dad.  

If I was in Ann Frank’s position the things I would take for entertainment or for sentimental reasons would be. A computer to play games and to communicate using instant messenger and to listen to music, and to research or get information from the internet. Another thing I would take would be pictures of friends or family just in case something bad happened and I would never be able to see them again or a reason like that just to remember them. Another item I would take would be some dvd’s to watch movies, and some books because I might start to get bored of the other things if I had stay in a place like Ann for 2 years to help me not go insane. The fifth and final thing I would take would be a guitar so I can practice and probably get really good over a two year period.

Lord of the Flies is a book that we read In English it is a book by William Golding. My class did a project on it we could choose from a variety of different assignments and I chose to write a blurb on the book and do a new front cover. I wrote about the themes of the book and what it is about and who the characters are. I explained what the characters represent and the importance of what they represent. We are using the ESLR on this project so we can get a better understanding of them. We also used the Blooms Taxonomy to help us as well.

I wasn’t being a self-directed learner in this project, because I didn’t really take responsibility in making my own ideas and also developing untried ideas. If I had done this it would have affected my grade and would have made it better. To me this means that I should have developed and made my own ideas from scratch. Next time I will not look for ideas before making my project. I would grade myself C+ because I used this well on writing the blurb because I just made it off the knowledge I had of the book, but making the front cover I used the Internet to find ideas.

I thought I was an academic achiever in this project. I was an academic achiever in this project because I used a variety of sources from the internet .This means that accessing info from a variety of sources. In my opinion this means that that I should use a variety of sources to research information to help me with my project. To put it in a better perspective I should use the internet and books to gather information to help me with my project. I think I used this on my project quite well but there could be improvement so I would grade myself a B.  Next time I will do just a little bit more of gathering information from the Internet and from books that I could borrow from the library.

During this project I thought I was a critical thinker. I was a critical thinker in this project because I used my prior knowledge that I had and I also researched for new knowledge. This means that I have to build meaning and understanding using knowledge I already have, and researching for new information. In my perspective this means that that I should use knowledge that I have and incorporate it in my project, and also gather new knowledge from sources like Internet, books, and also incorporate this into my project. On my next project I will use prior knowledge and knowledge that I gather from the internet and books and use that knowledge and incorporate it in my project. I think that I did this just average about a C+ to a B-.

 While I was doing this project I wasn’t an effective communicator. This means listening respectfully and facilitate understanding and achieve insight. If I had achieved in doing this it would have made my grade higher. I believe this means that I need to ask more questions about the subject with my project and also to achieve more and a better grade. I mean that I should ask a lot more questions to achieve my best grade and to achieve more out of this project. On my next project I will ask more questions to get a better understanding and to get a better grade and I will also listen respectfully. I would give myself a D because I didn’t really do this at all and I think this affected my grade the most because I didn’t ask questions to understand what to do more.

When I was working on this project I thought I was kind of a self-directed learner. I used this in my project by adjusting my work and proof reading it but I didn’t it as well as I could have. This means monitor, adjust and document work in progress. This means that I should change and adjust my work that is in progress. I need to change and adjust what I am doing with any subject on my project for a better outcome and grade. On my next and a better grade, so basically I will just try harder to make the document better. I would grade myself a C because I didn’t do this that good and I could of done it a lot better, and if I did I would have got more out of doing this project I will monitor and adjust my project a lot or than what I did for a better outcome and a better grade.

In conclusion I need to work more on being a self directed learner because I didn’t really make up my own ideas and didn’t come up with any new ones so I am going to have to work on this for my next project. Another eslr I need to learn to do better is being an effective communicator respectfully and facilitate understanding and achieve insight, so I need to ask more questions and listen with more enthusiasm. In this project I was an ok self-directed learner in monitor, adjust and document work in progress because I changed my project a little bit but not enough and maybe I made it to short, so I should of made it longer to get a better grade and get more out of doing this project, so next time I will have to do this better. All of the eslr’s that I did well in this project, there is still room for improvement to make these better so I will just have to work harder in all eslr’s, to get more out of English and a better grade out of English and maybe not just English every class. Overall I need to work on my self-directed learning skills and my effective communicating skills.